For the Love of Redheads
by The Lilac Elf of Lothlorien
Summary: After Lily's death, Jaames and Harry move to Washington DC and end up meeting Gibbs and his family.
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTES:I know that readers are waiting for the next chapter of 'What Should Have Been' but my muse didn't seem to want to work on that story. It wanted to work on this instead. And despite how the story starts off, Harry actually _isn't_ disabled in this story.

Story Summary: After Lily's death, James takes Harry to the States and later joins NCIS where he meets a beautiful redhead who happens to be married to a gray-haired Marine.

* * *

HARRY POTTER: Untitled

(NCIS x-over)

_Godric's Hollow_

_England_

_1981_

James Potter's head was throbbing as he returned from unconsciousness. Looking around, he noticed that everything was blurry and his glasses were missing. He could vaguely hear crying and he wondered where Lily was. Starting to get up, James cried out at the searing pain in his left leg. His wand was missing and every movement seemed to make the pain worse. "Lily!" James cried, coughing as the dust from the rubble continued to settle.

Finally getting to his feet, James again called to his wife but there was still no response, only the continued cries from the upper level. "Harry," James said, quietly as he hobbled as fast as he could to what was left of the stairs. Blocking out the pain as best he could, James slowly crawled up the stairs. But just as he neared the top, some of the wood gave way and James fell to the ground, hitting his head again.

The last thing he heard before losing consciousness again was Harry crying and someone calling his name.

x

Sirius Black knew something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones and as his flying motorcycle neared Godric's Hollow the feeling got worse.

And when he saw the Potters' house, Sirius almost crashed as he landed in the driveway. Letting the motorcycle fall to the ground, Sirius ran into the partially demolished house, looking for James, Lily, and Harry. "James! James!" After a few minutes, Sirius managed to find James covered in debris. "James! Prongs, can you hear me?" Sirius grabbed one of James' arms and pulled it over his shoulders and dragged his best friend from the rubble before going back in to look for Harry.

The stairs looked unstable but Sirius went quickly, managing to get to the upper level of the house just as the remainder of the stairs collapsed. The entire floor gave a shuddering lurch and Sirius shouted, "LILY! HARRY!"

There was crying coming from down the hall and Sirius ran into the room, tripping over Lily's body. Looking up, Sirius saw Harry in his crib, crying. He seemed completely unharmed, except for the lightning shaped cut on his forehead. Getting to his feet, Sirius hurried to pick up Harry. "Hey, come on now, Prongslet." Looking at Lily's body, Sirius set Harry down for a second before picking up Lily's body. After carefully picking up Harry as well, Sirius headed towards the back of the house and jumped out an open window, landing in the bushes below.

"Sirius?" said a deep, gruff voice.

Sirius stood quickly, holding Harry with one arm while he withdrew his wand. "Who's there?" A large shadow came around the house and Sirius breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts. "Hagrid, what are you doing here?" Sirius said, looking at the half-giant.

"Dumbledore sent me to get Harry," Hagrid said, looking at the baby in Sirius's arms. "I'm supposed to take him to his aunt and uncle."

"I'm Harry's godfather, Hagrid," Sirius protested. "Besides… James might want a say in what happens to Harry."

"James is alive?" Hagrid said, looking shocked. Looking down at the still form of Lily Potter, he asked, "Is she…?"

Sirius nodded sadly as he handed Harry to Hagrid. Picking up Lily, Sirius led Hagrid to the front of the house where James was lying against the motorcycle. Once he'd laid Lily down, Sirius took Harry back. The young child yawned once before snuggling against his godfather's chest and falling asleep. Looking up at Hagrid, Sirius said, "We need to get James to a hospital. Then we'll need to…" Sirius stopped for a moment as he looked down at Lily. James had loved Lily from the moment he'd first laid eyes on her. How could Sirius tell his best friend the only woman he'd ever loved was dead?

* * *

_Washington, DC_

_United States_

_10 Years Later_

On the playground, Harry Potter couldn't take his eyes off of the cute red-headed girl on the swings. As he watched from the jungle gym, he saw her looking at him and looked away, quickly.

Heading over to the tire swing, Harry wondered why he couldn't just talk to her. Sure, she was a couple years younger than him but from what he'd seen she was also a witch. So they had that in common.

Across the playground, James smiled as he watched his son. Harry also seemed to have a taste for redheads and the young girl he had his eyes on was cute.

"If we keep bumping into each other I'm going to start thinking you're falling in love with me," Shannon Gibbs said as she came up behind James. "And Jethro wouldn't like that," she added with a smile.

"Harry's got a crush on your little girl," James explained with a grin. "Although he's pretty shy about it. Must have gotten that from his mother."

Shannon laughed as she watched Harry as Kelly walked over to him. "Let me guess… You were attracting girls from the day you were born."

James smiled and as he looked at Shannon he was reminded of Lily.

"You never talk about Harry's mom," Shannon said, looking at James's expression as it went from charming to pensive.

"I loved Lily from the moment I saw her," James replied as he and Shannon sat on a park bench. He choked up a little and sighed. "I miss her every day. Harry was hardly a year old so he doesn't even really remember her."

Shannon was about to reply when she saw James looking around. "What's—?" But before she could finish the question, James grabbed her and dove for the ground as gunshots were fired from somewhere. "Kelly!" Shannon shouted, panicking when she didn't see her daughter.

As Shannon started to get up, James kept her pulled down. "I'll find Kelly. Just stay down."

Shannon raised herself a bit as James got up quickly and pulled out a 9mm, looking around. "But—"

"Stay down!" James ordered, looking at Shannon before turning back to the playground. Looking around, he whirled about when he heard a noise from behind.

"Dad!" Harry whispered loudly as he and Kelly crouched beneath the bottom of the slide.

When James couldn't find anyone who looked suspicious, he holstered his weapon just as several police cars pulled up nearby. Looking at Kelly and Harry, he said, "The two of you just stay here for a second, okay?"

"Yes, sir," Kelly said with a nod.

Harry nodded as well. "Sure thing, Dad."

James stood and pulled out his badge as the cops approached. "Special Agent James Potter, NIS."

As James drove home, he looked at Shannon who was sitting in the passenger seat. "We have a BOLO out on Hernandez. And Metro Police are taking your van home. You're okay, Shannon."

"I just can't thank you enough, James," Shannon said with a sigh of relief. "Ever since that afternoon when I saw Hernandez kill that sergeant I've just been so scared."

James nodded as he headed down the road. Glancing in his rearview mirror, he said, "Blue car behind us."

"We're being followed?" Shannon said, starting to turn around before James stopped her.

"Just keep looking straight," James instructed. "I'll try to shake 'em." But as James started taking side streets and roundabouts, he couldn't lose the blue car following them. "Just sit tight," James said, looking in the rearview just as the other car rammed them from behind. "Bloody Hell!"

"Mommy!" Kelly shouted as the other car rammed them again, sending them through an intersection.

James swerved to miss an oncoming car just as another car sideswiped them.

"Dad, look out!" Harry screamed just as another truck crashed into the car.

* * *

Protection charms could only do so much against another car.

Still, James had no doubts that the spells on his car were what had saved the lives of himself, Shannon, Kelly, and Harry.

Not that any of them had gotten away unscathed.

Shannon had a couple of broken ribs and some minor internal bleeding, James had a broken arm and some cuts and bruises, and Kelly had suffered a traumatic head injury.

Harry's injuries had been the worst, though. As he'd been leaning against the door when the car had been hit from the side, he'd suffered fractures to his hip, pelvis, and lower back. The doctors expected a full recovery, even though Harry still couldn't move his legs.

xxxxxxxxx

Standing outside Shannon's room at the hospital a week after the accident, his right arm in a cast and sling, James wished that he could do something more to help Shannon and Kelly. The American Ministry of Magic had different rules about using magic to heal muggles and getting a healer into a muggle hospital. As if that weren't enough of a problem, there were loads of muggles in the hospital who saw Harry and James's injuries and a miraculous recovery would draw suspicion.

"Special Agent Potter?"

James turned to see Jethro Gibbs hurrying down the hall looking worried. "Gunny," James said, holding out his good hand.

After shaking hands with James, Gibbs asked, "Shannon and Kelly? Are they okay?"

James tried to slip back into 'agent mode' but he couldn't help remembering coming to after Lily's death. "Shannon has a couple broken ribs but she can go home in a few days. Kelly's still unconscious."

"Will she be okay?" Gibbs asked, quickly. If something happened to his little girl… his princess…

"You should talk to the doctors," James replied, dodging the question. Once Gibbs went in to see Shannon, James headed up to the Pediatric wing and found Harry awake and watching TV. "Better not get used to this," James warned as he sat down next to Harry's bed. "No TV at Hogwarts, you know."

"How can I go to Hogwarts like this?" Harry asked, dismally as he looked at the back brace he wore and the traction rig around his hips and waist. "I've got 3 months before I start school. What if I still can't move my legs?"

"Harry, we'll figure it out," James promised. "And you're going to be fine."

"But what if I'm not?" Harry asked. "What if…?"

"Hey," James said, leaning forward and taking his son's hand. "We'll deal with it then."

xxxxx

When he got home, James carefully eased his jacket off his shoulder and after the jacket fell to the floor he hung it up with a flick of his wand.

"Good to see you haven't completely given up magic."

As the house lights turned on, James saw Sirius sitting in an armchair, a big grin on his face. On the couch was Remus Lupin who looked only slightly worse for wear. James smiled as the other two men stood and embraced him. Wincing as the three-way hug jostled his arm, James stepped back and studied his two friends. "What are you two doing here?"

Sirius shrugged as James headed into the kitchen. Following his best friend, Sirius said, "A week ago you tell us there's been a car wreck and Harry was badly hurt. And now you're surprised when Moony and I show up?" When James sat at the breakfast bar with a glass of scotch, Sirius sighed. "Look, we just want to help, Prongs." As Sirius sat down, he asked, "How is the Prongslet, anyway?"

James downed his drink and replied, "Hairline hip and pelvic fractures and he broke his back."

"Will Harry be alright?" Lupin asked, joining the two at the breakfast bar.

James shrugged as Sirius went to the fridge and grabbed three bottles of butterbeer. "The doctors keep saying that Harry will be fine. But he can't move his legs at all."

"Why haven't you just taken Harry to a local wizarding hospital?" Sirius asked, looking at the cast on James's arm. "10 minutes, he'll be right as rain."

"I tried," James replied as he sipped his drink. "But since a load of muggles have already seen Harry's injuries and mine—not to mention the fact that right now Harry's doctors refuse to move him anywhere—there's nothing I can do." Setting his bottle down, he said, miserably. "Sometimes I wish Harry and I had never moved to the States."

Sirius looked down at the bar as he spoke, "James, I'm sorry. Remus and I want to help. So just tell me what to do and we'll do it."

James shook his head. "I don't know what to do. I mean, the doctors are saying that Harry's spinal cord wasn't actually severed, and that increases the likelihood of recovery, but…"

"But?" Remus repeated, putting a comforting hand on James's shoulder.

James took another drink of his butterbeer and finished, "But… It'll be four to six weeks before they can tell how long it'll be before Harry fully recovers." Downing the rest of his drink, he threw in, "Or even _if_ he'll recover."

Sirius was about to say something when the doorbell rang and after putting the butterbeers in the fridge, he went to the door and opened it. "Yes?"

The visitor was smoking a cigarette and stepped inside the house as he said, "I'm looking for James Potter."

"He's in the kitchen," Sirius said, warily as he accompanied the other man into the kitchen.

"Hey, Boss," James said as he saw NIS Special Agent Mike Franks join the group.

"How're you doing, Probie?" Franks asked as he stubbed out his cigarette.

"Been better," James replied, succinctly. Indicating Remus and Sirius, he said, "Sirius, Remus, this is my boss at the Naval Investigative Service, Mike Franks. Boss, this is Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. They're old friends from England."

"Nice to meet ya," Franks said with a gruff nod. "Listen, Probie," he said to James. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

James looked at his best friends and gave them a quick nod.

Sirius took the hint and he and Remus headed out to go see Harry at the hospital.

Once alone, Franks said, "Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs came to see me. Wanted to know where Hernandez was."

James frowned a bit at that news. "Sir, we can't give that information out. Especially to a victim's family."

"I know that, Probie," Franks snapped. "I didn't tell him anything."

"Well neither did I," James snapped back.

"Hmm," Franks said, quietly as he headed for the door. "Well, thanks for the hospitality, Potter."

James nodded and as soon as the door closed, he headed upstairs to try and get some sleep.

xxxxxxxx

There was something in Gibbs's eyes when Shannon next saw her husband when he came to take her home. The anger that had been there was gone and he seemed more relaxed.

On the car ride home, Gibbs said, "I had a talk with Special Agent Franks."

"I know," Shannon replied, wincing as the car hit a bump in the road. "James told me you're joining NIS." After a moment, she added, "Did James tell you about Kelly?"

"The whole magic thing?" Gibbs said, sounding slightly unnerved. "Yeah, he told me." As they headed down the road, he asked, "How's Kelly doing?"

Shannon looked over at her husband and smiled. "Good news, she woke up yesterday."

"Bad news?" Gibbs wanted to know.

Shannon shrugged. "It's some… some medical thing, but Kelly can't see."

As Gibbs pulled into the driveway and parked, he said, "Shannon, I promise I'll be home more."

"It's okay, Jethro," Shannon insisted as she slowly got out of the car. "It's nothing we can't deal with." As she and Gibbs headed inside the house, one thought occurred to her. "Although… you will have to clean up the basement."

"I'm not getting rid of the boat, Shannon," Gibbs insisted.

"I'm not asking you to," Shannon replied with a laugh. "I'm just asking you to clean up and organize a bit down there."

"Alright," Gibbs grumbled as he headed down to the basement while Shannon went to sit down in the reclining chair for a while.

xxxx

It was 5 weeks before James could finally get Harry transferred to the Gilliam Medical complex—the best wizarding hospital on the east coast. The facility was run by magical healers as well as muggle doctors. After a week, Harry was able to wiggle his toes although James was told that it would probably be another month before Harry would be walking on his own.

While he was going through physical therapy, Harry wondered if Kelly would still be able to go to Hogwarts. Even after several days of magical scans and healing spells, Kelly was still blind and even though Harry tried to help her remain optimistic, she still seemed doubtful that she would be invited to attend Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This takes place during the 3rd book and I had to think about how to write this part because with James alive and Sirius NOT in Azkaban the question was how to get the dementors at Hogwarts.

To those who asked about Harry and Kelly going to Hogwarts, your questions are answered here. Although I have to say that it wouldn't be as much of a Harry Potter story if he didn't go to Hogwarts.

Next chapter will be the Hogwarts Express and we see how Gibbs, James, and Mike Franks work together at NCIS.

Please remember to read and review. Reviews equal love!

* * *

_3 Years Later_

There was an air of tension in the kitchen when James came home from NCIS on a rainy Friday night. Sitting down with Sirius and Remus at the kitchen table, James looked at his friends warily. "What's going on?" James asked, looking worried.

Sirius slid a newspaper article across the table and waited until James gave him a puzzled look. "Ron Weasley's rat. Look familiar?"

James looked at the picture of the Weasley family in Egypt and squinted at the rodent perched on Ron's shoulder. "That filthy, dirty, traitorous rat!" Slamming the article down on the table, James got up angrily. "All this time that good for nothing murderer was right in Harry's dormitory!"

"Well, now that we know," Sirius said, a dark look in his eye. "What are we going to do about it?"

"Dumbledore offered me the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Lupin put in. "If I take it I can keep an eye on Harry."

"I have to tell the Ministry of Magic," James said, running a hand through his unruly black hair. "God, they'll have a field day with this." Looking around, he asked, "Where's Harry, anyway?"

Sirius looked over at Remus and the two of them smirked. "He's upstairs," Sirius replied. "Talking with his girlfriend."

x

Looking at the two-way mirror propped up on his desk, Harry smiled at Kelly, even though she couldn't see it. Her brown eyes seemed distant but Harry didn't care as he studied his best friend in the whole world. "So are you ready to start at Hogwarts this year?" Harry asked. Even though there were several top notch wizarding school in the States, James had insisted that Harry go to Hogwarts and after hearing about Kelly's blindness Dumbledore had taken extra care to assure Kelly that she'd be welcome at Hogwarts once she turned 11.

Kelly smiled and nodded. "I've been reading and rereading all my books. I don't want to be behind in classes."

"You'll be fine," Harry assured her. "And Ginny said that she'd be happy to help navigate the castle."

"What's it look like?" Kelly asked, her face growing thoughtful.

Harry thought for a few moments and started talking about the castle, the moving staircases, and the portraits while Kelly listened intently.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Harry bounded down the stairs and hurried into the kitchen. "Dad, when are we getting my new school things?"

James looked up from his newspaper and studied Harry. "Well, I've been thinking about that, Harry," he replied as Harry grabbed a glass of orange juice and put some bread in the toaster. "And I spoke with Shannon and Jethro. What do you say if we took Kelly with us when we go to London?"

"You mean she'd stay with us until term begins?" Harry replied as he leaned against the breakfast bar.

"Exactly," James replied, sipping a mug of coffee. Setting his mug down for a moment, he added, "Harry, I want you to do me a favor this term."

"Sure," Harry replied as he buttered his toast and brought his plate and juice glass to the table. "What?"

James looked reluctant but finally he said, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go to Hogsmeade this year, Harry."

"What?" Harry asked, after almost choking on a bite of toast. "Why not?"

James had been expecting the question and replied, honestly. "Because the person who betrayed Lily and I is still out there. He's rumored to be lurking around Hogwarts and I'd feel better if I knew you were safe."

"Dad, that's so unfair!" Harry said, angrily. "Everyone else in my year will get to go!" As he grabbed his breakfast and headed for the stairs he said, "I hate you!"

James sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He hated denying Harry the chance to visit the wizarding village but there was too much danger. Especially since the British Ministry of Magic had just approved the use of dementors as guards around Hogwarts. Hearing the doorbell, James got up and answered the door, surprised and delighted to see his girlfriend, a very lovely redheaded witch, Jenny Sheppard standing there. Smiling, he held the door open for her as she entered the foyer.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Jenny asked, looking around for Harry.

James shook his head as he closed the door. "Harry's up in his room, pouting. I told him he couldn't go to Hogsmeade this year."

"Because of Pettigrew?" Jenny asked as she joined James at the breakfast bar. Once they both had full cups of coffee in front of them, Jen added, "I'm sure Harry would be safe if he went with his friends."

James pulled out the _Daily Prophet_ article Sirius had shown him last night and handed it to Jenny, pointing out the rat on Ron Weasley's shoulder. "He's been in Harry's dormitory for the past two years. Probably waiting for the best moment to attack Harry and take him to the Death Eaters."

Jenny set the article down and took her boyfriend's hand. "James, you worry too much. I'm sure Pettigrew knows that you, Sirius, and Remus would be on him in a heartbeat if he did anything to Harry."

James nodded at that. "You're probably right. But then there's the dementors."

"Ugh," Jenny said with a shiver. "I hate those things. I was reading about them and the idea of getting your soul sucked out?" Sipping her coffee she looked at James. "The dementors are the real reason you don't want Harry to go to Hogsmeade, aren't they?" Taking James's silence as an affirmative, she seemed puzzled. "Harry's had a wonderful childhood. He's happy and has friends…"

"I'm afraid… he'll remember that night," James replied, quietly, looking down at the bar so Jenny didn't see his eyes shining with unspilled tears. "I've done my best, Jen… to make sure that Harry remembers the best of Lily. I never want him to remember her death." Unable to keep a choke out of his voice he added, "Harry saw Lily murdered. I don't…" Wiping his eyes furiously, James got up, taking his mug to the sink before asking, "Can I, uh…? Can I make you breakfast?"

Jenny watched James puttering around in the kitchen and after a few seconds, she sighed. "Eggs and bacon would be great," she replied.

* * *

When Kelly Gibbs got off the plane in London with James and Harry, she noticed that the air seemed denser and when they got out onto the street the roads seemed far noisier. Once James had flagged down something called the Knight Bus, he escorted Kelly to—"An armchair?"

James chuckled as Kelly sat down. "It's a bit different here. And you may want to hold on."

"Yeah, for dear life," Harry said, sitting down next to Kelly and holding her hand. "This gets a little wild."

"How wi—?" But Kelly was cut off at the bus was off like a shot, barreling down that road at who knew how many miles—or was it kilometers now?—an hour, making wide swings at turns. When the bus finally slammed to a halt, Kelly could feel her heart racing.

"Kelly, we're here," James said, calmly as he took the young girl's arm gently. "You can let go of Harry and the chair now."

Kelly nodded and slowly released her hold on Harry and the armchair. Standing slowly she withdrew the cane she used to navigate and unfolded it before making her way off the bus. She could smell beer and smoke mingling with the smells of cooking food and there seemed to be an odd crackle in the air although it was faint here on the street.

But after passing through the pub to the small courtyard behind, the crackle in the air seemed to grow stronger. Kelly listened as someone tapped on a brick wall and she could hear the bricks moving and sliding against one another. As Harry led Kelly into Diagon Alley, the crackle seemed to become an energy that seemed to fill the air and, strangely enough, felt like fresh air after walking through a polluted city. "Can you feel it?" Kelly asked, soaking up the magical energy in the air.

"Feel what?" Harry asked, puzzled. But after a moment, he stopped walking and closed his eyes. After a moment he opened his eyes again and looked at Kelly. "I don't feel anything."

Kelly nodded and took Harry's arm as they followed James down the busy street. "It's… like an energy. And it smells like… like fresh air, only better."

Harry shrugged at that. "If you say so." As they neared Quality Quidditch Supplies, Harry said, "Hey, Dad. Can we check out the new Firebolt?"

James stopped and turned to look at the store front. "Sure."

Once he was looking at the Firebolt close up in the store, Harry asked, "Dad, can I get one for my birthday?"

"What's wrong with your Nimbus 2000?" James asked, looking at his son.

Harry looked at his father and shrugged at the question. "Nothing, really. It's a great broom. I just—"

"If it's a great broom," James said, leading the two kids out of the store. "—then you don't need a new one."

"Please, Dad?" Harry said.

James gave Harry a look. "You get an allowance during the summer. What happened to the money you saved?"

Harry gave a dejected sigh at the question. "I spent it when we went to South Carolina last summer."

"All of it?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Most of it," Harry mumbled under his breath. "Saved the rest for today and then the train ride to Hogwarts."

"Hmm," James replied, as they headed towards Gringotts, the wizard bank. "Guess you should have saved some more money. You could have bought the broom yourself."

"But why won't you buy it for me?" Harry asked, holding the door of the bank open for Kelly and his father.

"Because you have to learn how to budget your money," James replied as they went up to one of the goblins. "You need to learn how to be responsible, Harry. How are you going to learn that if I just bought you whatever you wanted?" As they took a cart ride to the vault that James had helped Gibbs and Shannon set up for Kelly, James thought about the warning Dumbledore had given him the night Voldemort murdered Lily. Even though James had survived the attack Dumbledore had still wanted Harry to go to Lily's sister. James had put his foot down and threatened to run off with Harry and Dumbledore had given in on one condition: that James was to raise Harry as normally as possible- That Harry not be spoiled and that he learn how to do some things in the muggle fashion.

Nowadays James found it getting harder and harder to keep that promise, especially after the near deaths of Shannon and Kelly and Harry's injuries.

"Dad?" Harry asked, noticing his father's distant look.

"Coming," James said, quickly. After getting the necessary galleons, they left the bank and headed for Ollivander's wand shop.

The inside of Ollivander's reminded Kelly of her father's basement and she could feel dozens if not hundreds of separate strings of magical energy. Some seemed softer, flowing… Others seemed sharper, more forceful… With her cane out in front of her, Kelly slowly moved around, her other hand held out, occasionally touching stacks of long, thin boxes. As she moved about the store, she could almost feel someone watching her and at the same time she felt drawn to a humming ahead of her. Picking up one of the boxes, she felt the humming grow stronger and slowly she set her cane aside and opened the box, withdrawing the wand inside.

The moment Kelly held the wand in her hand she knew it belonged to her. She gave it a swish and the smell of dust and grime seemed to vanish instantly.

"That is the fastest I have ever seen a wand choose its owner, Miss Gibbs," said a gravelly voice from behind. "And the cleanest my shop has been in almost 50 years."

Startled by the voice, Kelly's first instinct was to flee but then she heard James Potter's voice. "It's okay, Kelly. This is Mr. Ollivander."

"A pleasure to meet you, my dear," Ollivander said as he took Kelly's wand and studied it. "15 inches precisely. Cedar with a Maplewood handle. Containing the hair of a highly spirited female unicorn." Giving the wand back to Kelly, Ollivander smiled at her. "I expect that that we will be seeing great things from you."

"Mr. Ollivander?" Kelly asked, pulling out her money and handing it to Harry who extracted the correct amount and handed the coins to the wandmaker. "Why this wand?"

Ollivander chuckled as he again took Kelly's wand in his hands. " You mean why has this wand chosen you as its master? This wand was made with more precision than many others. Being blind, you also must rely on precision." Taking one of Kelly's hands in his, he went on. "For one so young, your hands are roughened by woodwork. Cedar, if I am not mistaken."

Kelly nodded and took her wand back as Harry led her out of the shop.

* * *

It was well after 2 in the morning and James still couldn't get to sleep.

Sitting alone in the study of the house he had grown up in, James was surprised at how small the house seemed now. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, the kitchen, the living room, and the study. For one of the richest, oldest wizarding families, the Potters lived modestly. James's father had often said that those who lived the high life made it easier for others to knock them down.

Leaning forward in his arm chair, James reached into a nearby desk and pulled out a carved wooden case and a key. Unlocking the case, he opened it and withdrew a thin willow wand with a holly handle. It was a hair longer than 10 inches and even though it felt strange in his hand, there was a faint warmth there, too. Just like the empty place in his bed some nights. He loved Jenny. She was smart, funny… a redhead… James let out a small dejected sigh as he replaced Lily's wand and locked it back up again.

Ever since Sirius had found Lily's wand in the wreckage of the house in Godric's Hollow James had kept it locked away, pulling it out only in those moments when he just had to be close to Lily again. Rubbing his face with one hand he sighed again. Lily would berate him for sitting alone in the dark, dwelling on memories. And James did want to settle down again… get married…

But it always came back to Lily. The mother of his son and the greatest thing to ever happen in his life. An irreplaceable woman who always knew the right thing to say and when to say it. How could he find another woman like that?


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

* * *

It was raining when Harry awoke on his birthday. The air was cool and rather than getting up early Harry burrowed further underneath his blankets and fell back asleep. A few hours later, Harry was jolted awake when a loud crack of thunder sounded right overhead. Grabbing his glasses, Harry looked at the clock on his nightstand and saw that it was almost 10. Getting up, he headed downstairs and found that he was the only one up other than Sirius. "Morning," Harry said as he went to pour himself a glass of orange juice.

"Morning, Prongslet," Sirius said, grinning as he reread a letter from Jenny Sheppard to James. Putting the letter aside, he asked, "You always sleep this late?"

"No," Harry replied, sitting at the kitchen table, looking over the backyard and woods and the pond beyond the treeline. "But with the rain I thought I'd just have a lie-in."

Sirius smiled at the phrasing but said nothing. It was like when James would start slipping on covering his English accent, only since Harry was raised in the US, he'd started picking up the English accent. "Well, you're 13 now. Feel any older?"

"Not really," Harry said, quietly.

Sirius noticed that Harry seemed withdrawn and asked, "Everything okay?"

"Fine," Harry said, shrugging. But when Sirius kept giving him a look, he sighed. "Dad just seems lonely lately. That's all."

Sitting across from Harry, Sirius studied his godson. "You want your Dad to find someone?"

"Well, yeah," Harry replied, thinking about Kelly. "I mean Kelly and I—" Catching Sirius smirk Harry caught himself. "I-I mean we're… we're close. I just want Dad to find someone."

"You and me both, Harry," Sirius admitted. When he saw Harry's look, he sighed. "When Lily died, James was depressed for a long time. But he hid it well and focused on you and his job. But he hasn't been happy. And even though he really likes Jenny Sheppard, he still misses your Mum."

"Do you think if I tell Dad I don't mind him dating Jenny it'd make him feel better?" Harry asked, hopefully.

"It's more complicated than that, Harry," James said as he joined his son and his best friend in the kitchen.

"Why?" Harry asked as James poured himself a cup of tea from the pot on the stove. "Dad, you like Jenny. I know you're not replacing Mom."

Looking over at James, Sirius could see the conflict in his best friend's eyes. "James, Lily was one of a kind. And you and I both know that she would kick your arse for taking so long to get remarried."

"I know," James replied with more of a snap in his voice than he'd intended.

Seeing that his father was not up for discussing the topic at that moment, Harry asked, "Is Kelly up yet?"

"She was reading when I checked on her before I came down," James replied, going to start breakfast. "She just said to call her when breakfast is ready."

"She and Hermione are two peas in a pod," Harry said with a smile.

"Well, it'll make this year more interesting," Sirius noted as he stood up. Giving James a pointed look, Sirius added, "I'm going to check on Moony. I'll see you later, Prongs."

Once Sirius had left, Harry asked, "How long has Remus been a werewolf?"

James glanced at Harry as he cooked, not asking how Harry knew of Remus's condition. "Since he was a kid," James replied, simply. "So what do you want to do for your birthday?"

Harry shrugged as he looked out at the rain. "I dunno. The zoo, maybe? They just redid their reptile exhibits."

James laughed as he finished cooking and divided the bacon and eggs between three plates. "Harry, your fascination with snakes never ceases to amaze me."

"Because I'm in Gryffindor?" Harry said smiling as he also poured himself a bowl of cereal.

"Exactly," James replied before going to the stairs. "Kelly! Breakfast!"

When Kelly came downstairs, she carefully made her way towards the table and sat down just as Harry set the plates down. "It's still raining?" she asked, feeling for a fork.

"Been raining since early morning," Harry said as he wolfed down his food. "How does a trip to the zoo sound?"

Kelly nodded as she was still chewing a bite of eggs and when she swallowed she said, "Sounds like fun."

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," James said, gently. "I can ask Sirius to stay with you while Harry and I are out."

"No, it's fine," Kelly insisted. "I haven't been to the zoo since I… Since I lost my sight."

Harry eyed Kelly as he took his plate over to the sink. The one thing that they never talked about much was Kelly's blindness. While she did her best not to let her disability keep her from living her life, there were still things she missed out on enjoying. But as Harry watched her take her plate over to the counter, he decided to make sure that Kelly enjoyed herself today.

As Sirius watched Harry and Kelly walking along the paths between the animal exhibits, he was reminded of watching James and Lily when they'd stroll down the streets of Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. Harry would say something or point something out. Kelly would reply and occasionally rib Harry back.

Next to him, Sirius saw that James was also watching Harry and Kelly. "So what's on your mind, Prongs?" Sirius asked, casually as they headed towards the Australian Outback exhibit.

James didn't reply right away and while Harry and Kelly went on ahead, he looked at Sirius. "You're right, Sirius." When James saw the look on his best friend's face he went on. "Lily would never let me hear the end of it if she saw me moping and brooding. And I do love Jenny."

"James, I know you loved Lily," Sirius said giving James an encouraging look. "It's time to get back on that broom and think of yourself. You've raised Harry and he's a great kid-"

"Yeah," James said, impatiently. "I know, okay?"

Sirius frowned as he and James headed into the building. "That's another thing," he said, quietly as they walked past the kangaroo enclosure. "You're bloody less tetchy when you're with Miss Jennifer Sheppard."

James shrugged as he looked around for Harry and Kelly. The truth was that he did feel more like his old self when he was with Jenny. He smiled more and when they were alone together he didn't feel alone.

* * *

While Sirius made dinner that evening, James sat out on the upper porch with Jenny who had stopped by to wish Harry 'Happy Birthday'. Looking out at the cloudy sky, James glanced over at Jenny before turning back to the open front yard and the trees surrounding. "I've been thinking about something you asked me when we were undercover in Paris last year."

"Oh?" Jenny asked, looking at James. "And what was that?"

James sighed and after a minute, he said, "You asked me if I was still in love with Lily. If she was the reason that I couldn't tell you 'I love you'." Turning to Jenny, he said, "Lily was the first girl I ever loved. I met her our first day at Hogwarts and I—" He took a moment before going on. "I love you, Jen. I feel the same way about you that I felt about Lily the first time I saw her on the train ride to Hogwarts."

Jenny thought about that for a while before she reached over and took James' hand and gave him a smile. "I'm not asking for a commitment right now, James." Giving him a devilish smirk, she added, "I mean we've certainly been close enough that—"

"I-I get the point," James said with a laugh. Staring into Jenny's beautiful brown eyes, he said, "I love you, Jen. And I really do want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"So what's stopping you?" Jenny asked, not looking away from James' eyes.

XXX

Sitting at the breakfast bar watching Sirius cooking, Harry asked, "You think Dad's going to ask Jenny to marry him?"

"Dunno, Prongslet," Sirius admitted as he put a casserole in the oven. Looking at Harry as he cleaned up, he asked, "You alright?'

"Just thinking," Harry replied, shrugging.

"'Bout what?" Sirius asked as he started working on a side dish. When Harry didn't reply, Sirius gave him a look. "You can talk to me, Harry. If it's something you don't want your dad to know about, that's okay. My lips are sealed."

Harry didn't say anything for a while but when Sirius resumed chopping vegetables, he asked, "If Dad and Jenny get married, what do I call her?"

"Well," Sirius replied as he wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. "I'd say stick with Jenny. Or Jen." Seeing the question in Harry's eye, he added, "Jenny would be your stepmother, Harry. She'll never replace Lily. And I would very much recommend that you ask your father before referring to Jenny as 'Mum'."

"Right," Harry nodded.

"That's problem number one down," Sirius said, watching Harry as he cleaned up the kitchen and pulled a skillet out of the cupboard. "What's number two?"

"Are Kelly and I doomed?" Harry asked, after looking about to make sure Kelly wasn't around.

Sirius was a bit flummoxed by the question and leaned against the counter, raising an eyebrow as he studied his godson. "Doomed?"

Harry shrugged. "I've known Kelly since I was 6 years old. We've been friends for years. But Mom and Dad didn't—"

"It's not a fair comparison," Sirius countered, shaking his head. As he started cooking vegetables, he elaborated. "Your mum died, Harry. It was a terrible tragedy but that doesn't mean that you and Kelly can't have a wonderful life together."


End file.
